The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action congratulates for completion of projects its state-based Action Coalitions competitively selected in 2018 to receive funding for innovative ideas to build healthier communities through nursing. The Campaign is an initiative of AARP Foundation, AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Nine Action Coalitions – Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah and West Virginia – each received a $25,000 Nursing Innovations Fund, and raised required matching funds, for projects to advance nursing and build a Culture of Health by implementing at least one recommendation from the Institute of Medicine’s 2010 report on the future of nursing.
Read the announcement | Project Descriptions
Colorado
Fostering a Healthy Workplace for Nurses Using the True Colors Communication Program
Grantee: Colorado Action Coalition
Summary of completed project
The Colorado Action Coalition sought to advance nursing leadership by supporting expansion of a nurse-led health care team model to FQHCs in the state. They did this in collaboration with Clinica Family Health, a FQHC, which has a successful nurse-led team-based health care model. They hosted two summits, each lasting for two days, titled “Cultivating Nurses in Primary Care.” Those gathering were followed by three web-based learning sessions including sessions on change management, clinical protocols and screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT). Each group was then offered three follow-up coaching sessions.
Outcomes
Workshop participants expressed an increased readiness to make changes in how their organization delivered care and two nursing schools enhanced their curriculum to include team-based care models. The “Cultivating Nurses in Primary Care Summits” will continue in 2020 and 2021.
A partnership of the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence, three schools of nursing, Valley Wide Health Systems, and the Clinica Family Health were awarded a four-year, $699,890 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) titled, “Achieving Systemic Impact: A Statewide Primary Care Nursing Collaborative.” One component of this HRSA grant is to fund the continuation of the “Cultivating Nurses in Primary Care Summit,” web-based learning sessions, and group coaching for two additional years. This will allow for the registration fees to remain minimal and increases the opportunity for participants from FQHCs and other nonprofits with limited resources to attend.
Lead: Susan Moyer
Massachusetts
Promoting Health Literacy to Influence Health and Wellness of Students in the Community: Widening the Connections
Grantee: Massachusetts Action Coalition
Summary of completed project
The Massachusetts Action Coalition partnered with the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and school wellness committees to create statewide Advisory and Curriculum Development Committees which provided input into the development and dissemination of the anti-vaping curriculum. An evidence-based approach was used to review and evaluate relevant anti-vaping materials and programs. The committee recommended appropriate materials based on grade level. Involvement of the State Department of Secondary Education, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Superintendents Association resulted in distribution of the curriculum guide to all elementary and secondary schools within the state.
The Advisory Committee included representatives from the Superintendents’ Association, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Health Council, the Massachusetts School Nurses Association, the Massachusetts Association of Public Health Nurses, school leadership including principals, counselors and schools resource officers, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, the Massachusetts Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Health Safety & Wellness Initiative, the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Addictive Medicine, Collaborative Youth Program, the Massachusetts Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and the Department of Public Health Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program.
The Curriculum Committee included representatives from school districts across the state, including, school nurses, counselors, faculty, a superintendent and a curriculum consultant.
Outcomes
Statewide, multi-sector Advisory and Curriculum Committees were established. Their review and evaluation resulted in a comprehensive anti-vaping resource and curriculum guide that was circulated statewide. Additionally, the Action Coalition created a comprehensive communications plan, including key messages, strategies, and resources to promote the project.
Lead: Patricia Crombie
Michigan
Nurses Connect
Grantee: Michigan Action Coalition
Summary of completed project
The Michigan Action Coalition created a networking platform (The Mentoring Project) and developed 21 e-learning modules on various topics related to nurse resiliency and retention including topics such as leadership, time management, identifying personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats , goal setting, compassion, acceptance, and gratitude, among other topics. The Mentoring Project uses the ACEMAPP system, a secure online clinical education and placement system developed by the Michigan Health Council (MHC). The mentors and mentees who participated in the project also had access to social determinants of health e-learning modules through the ACEMAPP library. The MHC continues to build the ACEMAPP library and participants in the Mentoring Project have access to a growing repository of relevant materials to develop professionally and to support their careers in health care.
Outcomes
The Mentoring Project reached 50+ individual nurses and connected with multiple chief nursing officers. Additionally, a health system expressed interest in making the Mentoring Project part of their nurse residency program once the first test group of nurses completes the program in the summer of 2020. The Action Coalition initially partnered with the Michigan Health &Hospital Association to connect with hospitals and exhibited at the “2018 Nursing Summit” to solicit interest from nursing schools and health systems. These connections are forming the foundation for the program going forward. The Mentoring Project remains part of the MHC’s offerings and continues to be part of its ongoing workforce mission.
Lead: Melanie Brim
Nebraska
Nebraska: Multi-Sector Collaboration in Action
Grantee: Nebraska Action Coalition
Summary of completed project
In collaboration with the Douglas County Health Department and other partners, the Nebraska Action Coalition brought the perspective of the nurse as supervisor as part of the range of backgrounds of supervisors of community health workers to be included in a community health worker supervision toolkit. Following a “2018 Leadership/Culture of Health Conference,” the Action Coalition collected data on community health workers across the state. The Action Coalition did this in collaboration with the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health, its Center for Reducing Health Disparities, and Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, an open house included 40 participants from varied backgrounds including business, academia, diverse nursing organizations, and health care leaders to brainstorm and develop action plans focused on building a diverse nurse pipeline. In partnership with the A Place at Home, a homecare agency which employs diverse nurse aides, the Diverse Nurse Pipeline implemented a pilot for five pairs of mentor/mentees.
Outcomes
Members of the Action Coalition have participated in a number of statewide conferences to share information on the project to “raise up” the CHW role as an important interdisciplinary healthcare team member and the supervision direction, delegation, policy, regulation, and leadership roles related to the CHW role. Over 300 nurses (10 percent of the state’s nurses) were informed of the CHW role and the transformation of the interdisciplinary care team. A curriculum on the CHW supervision began in February 2019. The interdisciplinary team produced a report (Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services as the lead author, along with the Action Coalition and four other authors) that will be available in April 2020. Education of the healthcare profession on the importance of the CHW role to interdisciplinary health and healthcare teams remains a priority of the Nebraska Action Coalition.
Lead: Victoria Vinton
Ohio
Grantee: Ohio Action Coalition
Summary of completed project
In an effort to promote nursing leadership and address local health-related issues, the Ohio Action Coalition partnered with CASA and the Nurses on Board Coalition (NOBC) to encourage nurse participation in CASA’s efforts by identifying nurses to serve on their local boards throughout Ohio. There are 42 CASA programs in 51 Ohio counties, with 26 programs having independent boards. During a statewide meeting of the Ohio CASA program directors, a presentation was given to explain the goal of the project and importance of nurses serving as board members or volunteers. The Action Coalition collaborated with the NOBC to identify potential nurse board members. Through the NOBC database, the Ohio Action Coalition was able to match qualified interested nurse candidates to serve on the CASA boards in their area. Instead of offering live presentations on board readiness training throughout the state, the Action Coalition posted education resources were on its website. The information was also posted on the NOBC website.
Outcomes
As a result of this project, the Ohio Action Coalition was able to place 18 nurses, and more appointments are pending. This model of identifying a national non-profit that has a local presence within states has successfully helped Ohio exceed its original goal of placing 457 nurses on boards by 2020 (part of the national effort to place 10,000 nurses on boards by 2020). NOBC is using this model as they work with the United Way to place nurses on its boards in communities across the country. The executive director of the Ohio CASA has expressed support for expanding this model to CASA boards in 49 states.
Lead: Jane Mahowald
Pennsylvania
“At the Core of Care” podcast
Grantee: Pennsylvania Action Coalition
Summary of completed project
The Pennsylvania Action Coalition created a podcast series titled “At the Core of Care.” The first 10 podcast episodes that were developed showcased the stories of patients, families, and communities, and the creative efforts of nurses and other partners to better meet their health care needs. The podcasts viewed a health care need through the lens of the consumer and highlighted the ways that nurses and other organizations are intervening and partnering to transform the health care system. The list of episodes includes:
- At the Core of Care Trailer to preview all episodes
- The Fight for Full Practice Authority in Pennsylvania
- Breast Feeding Support at the Philadelphia Nurse-Family Partnership
- Pediatric Home Care for Medically Complex Children
- Bodies and Barriers-LGBT Health Equity
- Immigrant Health Care: Chester County
- Refugee Health Care Parts I and 2
- Nursing Perspectives, with interviews with nursing champions from AARP’s Center to Champion Nursing in America
The Action Coalition focused on reflecting the geographic diversity of the Action Coalition work and the diversity of Pennsylvanians. The Action Coalition contracted a professional radio and podcast producer to both develop and assist in the marketing of the podcasts.
Outcomes
The podcast series had listeners from across the United States and internationally though the greatest number of listeners are from Pennsylvania. The podcast has been played 1,985 times with the most listeners in the two largest urban areas of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. One episode has been adapted for an episode of WHYY’s The Pulse, a weekly radio program and podcast about health and science. WHYY is the Philadelphia region’s National Public Radio member station. A second season of 10 episodes have been prepared and a third is in the planning stages.
Lead: Sarah Hexem Hubbard
Rhode Island
Grantee: Rhode Island Action Coalition
Overview
The Rhode Island Action Coalition had two primary goals. The first goal was to prepare nurses to provide care for populations with health disparities by utilizing the community-based enhanced primary program developed by a local college. The second goal was to disseminate resources and educational opportunities that promote interprofessional team practices among Rhode Island health practices by developing an awareness and integration campaign to aid in dissemination of these resources.
Summary of completed project
Due to external factors and varying levels of institutional engagement, the Action Coalition was unable to move forward with their first goal. The Rhode Island Action Coalition was successful in expanding participation in the Rhode Island Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Practice Collaborative (RICIPEP) to include the Community College of Rhode Island. The RICPEP had been composed of the Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School, the Rhode Island College of Nursing and School of Social Work, and the University of Rhode Island College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, and College of Health Sciences. The clinical practice partners were two large health systems (Lifespan and Care New England), the Providence VA Medical Center, and the southern Rhode Island Area Health Education Center (AHEC). The Rhode Island Action Coalition was also successful in promoting the interprofessional educational efforts through its network and email distribution list; a garnering media publicity of the joint education effort and working with communication personnel from the participating partners to increase participation in joint education efforts and the annual RICEP conferences in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Outcomes
In the first year of the program, over 200 health professional students from the community college (CCRI) who previously would not have had an opportunity to learn in a multi-disciplinary, interprofessional health team settings were able to participate in and work with health colleagues in a variety of diverse teams. The plan is to expand the current programming to increase the number of students in each subsequent year. Additionally, the publicity achieved in promoting the IPE activities has raised awareness among the general public and health leaders about the importance of health teams to practice collaboratively.
Lead:
Utah
The Innovations Diversity Project
Grantee: Utah Action Coalition
Summary of completed project
The Utah Action Coalition sought to increase the diversity of the nursing workforce by using a multipronged approach. The Action Coalition utilized a research-based framework to examine the literature, collect and analyze data, conduct site visits, and share its results with partners and other leaders throughout the state. The Action Coalition developed comprehensive reports on methods and results for each goal.
For the first goal, the Utah Action Coalition reached out to middle school counselors, high school counselors, and science teachers to assess high school minority students’ perceptions about attending college and their beliefs in self-efficacy and personal abilities. Students were able to complete the survey online or in a paper format.
For the second goal, the Action Coalition collaborated with the Academic Leadership Committee of the Utah Organization of Nurse Leaders to circulate the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation diversity survey to 13 of the 18 Utah nursing programs, focusing on identifying barriers and strategies to recruitment and retention of diverse students.
For the third goal, the Utah Action Coalition evaluated the challenges facing diverse first year nurses. The Action Coalition worked with a large metropolitan tertiary teaching hospital to survey all first year diverse nurses. The information collected was so compelling to Action Coalition practice partners that it will be replicating the work in other hospital settings statewide.
For the fourth goal, the Action Coalition partnered with Springboard, a Utah based organization with a mission to promote, train, connect and advocate for more women to be appointed to boards and commission. Additionally, the Action Coalition also completed an in-depth analysis of the Nurses on Boards Coalition registry data for Utah.
Outcomes
The Action Coalition met or exceeded all but one of their goals. These outcomes include:
- Goal One: The outreach was primarily high school students using health career day activities to survey all students who were interested in participating. The student health career days at Utah State University (45 participants) and Salt Lake Community College (80 students) were utilized for preliminary surveys. The revised surveys were sent to Uintah High School (16 students) and 12 schools where Native American students represented eight percent of the student population. As an example of the results, 61 percent of the students surveyed responded that they had either not or somewhat considered nursing as a career choice. Results of the surveys also found that 43 percent of the students were unaware of the benefits of a career in nursing. The Action Coalition then did an analysis of the remaining set of questions on self-efficacy (belief in self) and self-efficacy (belief in effort). The Action Coalition continued to identify event opportunities in diverse middle and high schools. They are also sharing the results with other school districts to encourage action planning to increase counselor and educator engagement with diverse students.
- While the original goal of establishing a mentoring system was not met, a broad-based assessment of recruitment, retention, and inclusion in nursing programs was completed and outlined priorities for future nursing diversity work.
- Goal three exceeded the original plan with a thorough evaluation of barriers of first year diverse nurses’ challenges and commitments from practice partners to implement interventions to address barriers identified. A proposal to have the survey sent out on an ongoing basis to each newly hired nurse on the one-year mark from date of hire is being evaluated.
- The key findings for goal four demonstrated that registered nurses (RNs) with higher educational backgrounds were disproportionally represented on Boards by 33 percent. Male RNs in Utah are also disproportionally represented on Boards by 12 percent when compared to overall practicing RNs in Utah. RNs serving on Boards located within urban communities were overrepresented by 53 percent, compared to the typical RN working in rural locations. Utah’s Nurses on Boards effort is ongoing, and this survey provided the Action Coalition with insights into how to reach diverse nurses to offer them skills training to prepare them for Board opportunities. While the current number of diverse nurses serving on boards is representative of Utah’s population, there is a hope that this work will increase the number of diverse nurses serving in this capacity in the future.
The Action Coalition used Doctor of Nursing Practice students from the University of Utah College of Nursing to help with their overall project and provided experiences that directly benefited the students’ education clinical experiences. As many organizations in Utah are working on diversity and inclusion, the Action Coalition found that it is imperative to hold regular coordinating meetings to avoid duplication and effectively leverage these community partnerships. By using a multipronged approach, the process provided useful information for the Action Coalition to move forward in increasing the diversity of the nursing workforce in their state.
Lead: Joan Gallegos
West Virginia
Nurse Entrepreneur Project
Grantee: West Virginia Action Coalition
Summary of completed project
The West Virginia Action Coalition developed a curriculum in partnership with the West Virginia Nurses Association and the Small Business Development Center. The course included two onsite all-day sessions and 10 online webinars. Five nurses in business were engaged to serve as mentors and coaches. A complete evaluation including pre and post sessions was developed. Getting the word out and attracting nurses to participate was the greatest challenge. In addition to articles in the West Virginia Nurse quarterly publication, the Action Coalition advertised in the local newspaper and the Board of Nursing newsletter. Postcards were sent to advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) identified by the Board of Nursing. Participants paid $45 for the course to encourage commitment to attending and completing the course.
Outcomes
There were 35 nurses who took the course; 10 of these nurses have opened new health businesses with others in various stages of business development. Many are continuing with the Small Business Development Center coaches. In addition to primary care practices by APRNs, businesses also include a store front consignment shop with classes for new mothers including breast feeding; a postpartum home visiting service with services for postpartum depression; and an infusion business and a daycare center.
The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation produced a video on the project and awarded the project their “Change Maker Award.” The co-leads of the West Virginia Action Coalition were invited to submit a chapter on nurse entrepreneurship for Advanced Practice Nursing Leadership: A Global Perspective, to be published by Springer. The project is continuing with additional webinars on coding. The overall learning was that nurses need earlier exposure to intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial concepts in their nursing curriculum.
Lead: Aila Accad